Special
by VectorCrocodileFangirl
Summary: /Snake Eyes x Kamakura/ Outside of work and training, they rarely get any time alone.


They don't get to spend time together like this very often. It's always work, or training, or _something_ getting in their way. It's practically a miracle they get any alone time aboard the Sea Titan. Times like these are special.

This is a city they've been to before; the Sea Titan can only dock in so many new places in the United States before it stops running out of new docking stations, obviously. But the difference is, this time it's the middle of July, as opposed to the middle of November—the fourth of July, to be exact. What better a day to spend out and about.

(Kamakura tries not to think too hard about the fact that it would also be the perfect day for a Cobra attack—it's exactly Cobra Commander's style, after all—and tries to just focus on the task at hand. Cobra can wait one evening.)

Snake Eyes always picks the destinations—not that he minds, of course. Snake Eyes has a better sense for good restaurants that won't throw him too deeply off their (sometimes) strict diet, and a lot of friends in high places that can get him reservations in places with month long waiting lists. Last time was the fanciest steak house Kamakura had ever been in—black-tie ensemble and all. This time it's seafood—lobster, specifically. Not the healthiest, but Snake Eyes never minds him slipping a little on nights like these.

The maitre d' sits them at a spacious table by the wall-length windows looking out onto the river running directly through the city, and for a moment, Kamakura is certain a mistake has been made, until the slightly balding man in his elegant suit asks Snake Eyes about someone he doesn't catch the name of, and Snake Eyes just gives a little nod. He shakes his head when he realizes he should be used to it by now.

Snake Eyes walks up to one side of the table and pulls the chair out, and Kamakura swallows past a lump in his throat and sits down, before Snake Eyes walks around to the other side and sits himself. It's always nice to be treated like this, of course, but it still makes him feel a little awkward, even after all this time; Snake Eyes is still Snake Eyes, after all, and he's still learning to differentiate between the soft-eyed, caring individual who strokes the side of his face and kisses him gently and rubs his neck, and his sensei, the man who makes him and Jinx train for four solid days in the mountains with no resources except for the clothes on their backs, and their weapons. Because there _is_ a difference, and if Snake Eyes ever stops making that difference clear, Kamakura knows that's the day he has to stop being his apprentice.

They talk softly (or rather, Kamakura does—Snake Eyes sits and listens intently, throwing in his own comments every once in a while through his signing, or through little touches that Kamakura has long since learned how to interpret) until their waiter comes to take their order. The younger man orders the house special for both of them, and red wine, looking to Snake Eyes for approval; normally alcohol is on the strict 'no' list, but tonight is _special_, after all, so he gives a little nod.

The meal passes by without much event, and as all of their meals do, with Kamakura keeping up a constant, hushed conversation, and Snake Eyes continuing to listen intently, spending most of the evening simply _looking_ at Kamakura. He remembers there being early dates when he'd look up to see Snake Eyes' eyes locked on him, and he'd blush and immediately look away—now, he merely stares back. It's not uncommon for an extra half an hour to pass by, filled just by the two of them staring at each other.

The finished meal, paid bill, and glass of wine in Kamakura's system lead the two of them out to the waterfront, where couples of all sorts are leaning against the rail and staring at the gently flowing water. Ornate lampposts line the street, and give a soft glow, while all of the riverfront stores are decorated with gentle lights not unlike Christmas lights, illuminating the whole street. This city may not be restless, but it's clear that it _also_ never sleeps. Every so often, Kamakura stops to admire the way the light hits the water, or how a speckling of stars can be seen in the sky—certainly less then they're used to, but more than either of them have ever seen in a city, or how the nearly full moon shines across the darker areas of the river, ignored by the street lamps and gently lights, turning its surface into a mirror.

It's about an hour into their walk, and the same time they reach the pier, that the fireworks start, and Kamakura can't help but think Snake Eyes planned it that way. There's already a crowd formed, as the first, slightly pathetic ones go off, but by the time they've really become fantastic, Kamakura and Snake Eyes have found a spot at the rail, Snake Eyes with his arm wrapped around Kamakura's shoulder, holding him tightly against his side to maximize the amount of space available to other people. The apprentice rolls with it and leans into his side with a sigh, one hand going to the older man's chest and the other clinging to the back of his sport jacket. In response, Snake Eyes leans over and kisses the top of his head as he watches the bright colors light the sky and reflect in the water.

Neither of them ever want the night to end, but eventually, it must, with the Sea Titan leaving the city the next morning. As they make their way back to the docks, Kamakura occasionally looks up at Snake Eyes, and can't do anything but smile.


End file.
